What is the relationship between neuronal activity dynamics and the states of cognitive experience, like memories and thoughts? What patterns of neural activity underlie the retrieval of a specific memory? How does this activity influence the execution of a memory-guided behavior?

We address these questions using neural recordings and manipulations in the hippocampal/entorhinal system – a set of neural circuits critically involved in the formation and retrieval of memories. Our approach exploits the advantages of two model organisms – an innately-driven specialist (the black-capped chickadee) and a highly trainable generalist (the rat).